Chance Encounters
by Umabaka
Summary: Five times he fails to get a date, and the one time he succeeds. [Gildarts x Ultear] crack pairing.
1. Love at First Punch?

**Disclaimer:** I have never and will never own Fairy Tail, but if I did we'd see a lot more of Gildarts and Ultear.

_**Love at First… Punch?**_

The first time he sees her, she is sitting at a bar talking with Mira and a little pink-haired teenage girl. They're laughing about something and her smile lights up her face. Her black hair is held away from her face by a white headband with two cute little bows on either side.

He was sure it was love at first sight (He knows he's said this before, but this time he means it).

He approaches her and…

"Gildarts! FIGHT ME!" he hears Natsu holler. Out of the corner of his eyes he sees Natsu running towards him, a wide grin splitting his face, and his arm (complete with a flaming fist) is pulled back ready to punch him. Sighing, Gildarts effortlessly blocks the incoming punch before bringing his other arm around in a counterattack that sends Natsu flying into the wall.

"You win" is all Natsu can get out before he passes out.

His guildmates are all laughing, and he allows himself a smile at Natsu's antics before turning his attention back to the raven-haired beauty. She's alone now. Mira has moved to talk to Laxus, while the pinkette has started a conversation with Fried, Lisanna, and Bixlow.

He sidles up to her and introduces himself with a charming grin "I'm Gildarts. Gildarts Clive." She stares at him as if deciding how to get rid of him, and Gildarts feels his pride take a hit, but he quickly recovers. "And your name is…"

She sighs, but reluctantly grabs his outstretched hand "I'm Ultear Milkovich."

He sits down next to her, but she's gone back to ignoring him. Another hit. Damn. He tries again anyway. "Did you just join Fairy Tail? I haven't seen you around here before."

"Look. Mr. Clive. – "

"Please, call me Gildarts" he interrupts

"– I just want to drink in peace." Her words are blunt and the meaning is clear: _Please leave me the hell alone. _Gildarts can tell she's getting irritated now, but he can't throw in the towel just yet. He still has some tricks up his sleeve after all.

"Ok."

She thinks he's given up, but when he makes no move to leave, she impatiently turns to him "I thought you were leaving."

"Nah, this chair's comfy so I'm gonna stick around for a little. But don't worry I won't talk to ya." He grins cheerfully at her. But she huffs and turns back to her drink, intent on ignoring him

"Mira, I'd like a beer please!" He calls out to the barmaid. He sticks to his promise though, and gradually he sees her relax. Every once and a while he catches her glancing at him from the corners of her eyes, but he just smiles into his drink and waits for curiosity to get the better of her.

Soon enough, she blurts out "Why are you still here?"

"Why would I leave such a pretty woman alone?" If he looks carefully, he thinks he can see a faint blush on her cheeks, and for a moment he feels a surge of triumph.

"Haven't I made it clear I don't want to talk to you?!" Oops his mistake – the blush was actually an angry flush. Maybe it's about time he made a strategic retreat…

* * *

"I apologize." He's completely defeated now, his posture slumped and gloomy and utterly depressed. Ultear can't help but think he looks like a kicked puppy.

"Wait… I'msorry. I didn't mean to be so rude. I'm part of the guild Crime Sorciere, and Meredy and I are just here accompanying Jellal."

He gives her a blank stare so she elaborates, "You asked me earlier if I was new to Fairy Tail."

His expression clears and he flashes another grin at her, and maybe she finds it just a little bit charming (only a little bit, though). Perhaps her day is looking up she thinks as she tentatively returns the smile.

* * *

Ha ha! Yes, I got her to smile, he thinks before a loud ruckus draws his attention to the front of the guild. The source is a large man – a large, _angry _man. There's a sobbing woman clutching his arm, trying to calm him down or trying to restrain him – or maybe it's both – but it's obviously not working. Meanwhile, his guildmates are trying to calm him down and find out why he's at Fairy Tail, but their efforts are proving just as ineffective as the poor woman who came with him.

"WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS GILDARTS CLIVE!" he knows where this is going, but he can't leave his guildmates alone to deal with his mess.

"That's me. What can I do for you" he's vaguely aware that Ultear has followed him.

"YOU! You Defiled my sister! now take responsibility!" the man's face is purple with rage, and if looks could kill Gildarts is sure he'd be dead a hundred times over. However, before he can reply, he sees the man pull his arm back in preparation for a punch.

Gildarts lets the punch hit him in the stomach, barely winded by the blow. This enrages the man even more and he picks up the first thing he can find – a chair. Gildarts is rapidly losing his patience, but he finds himself saying "Please calm down, and let's talk like _rational_ adults."

At this point, the man is so blinded by rage that he doesn't realize his aim is a little off. Gildarts, finally fed up, intercepts the chair before it can find its target, Ultear. He's more than a little irritated, and he has realized there will be no reasoning with the man. He puts just enough force into his punch to knock the guy out before he hurts anyone (or himself). He turns his attention to the young woman. Her sobbing has calmed down, but her eyes are still teary.

"This must have been a tough day for you, huh? Why don't you go home and come back tomorrow if you want to talk things out." He smiles his most charming grin at her, the one that won her over in the first place (he's finally recognized her). Stunned, the woman can only nod her head. Out of the corner of his eye he sees a flash of familiar pink hair.

"Natsu, can you please carry her brother home." He turns back to Ultear, and smiles like a man didn't just try to kill him, and his sexual exploits weren't just broadcasted to the entire city.

"Where were we?" He sees an eyebrow twitch. Uh oh. She's too fast and before he knows it, he's joined the unconscious man on the floor.

Sometimes love sucks.

**A/N: And I thought Cana was hard to write. I know these kinds of stories are usually oneshots, but I couldn't stop writing the first bit, so now it's gonna be a six-chapter ficlet.**

**Like always, please review, and let me know if there is anything you didn't like.**


	2. S-Class Wizard Extraordinare

**S-Class Wizard Extraordinaire **

The second time he meets her, he is out on a regular S-class job. He can tell she's still angry about the first incident when her body tenses up at the sound of his voice.

"Hey Ultear! Long time no see, heh?" he greets her cheerfully despite her sour disposition. She's also alone, but instead of returning the greeting, she continues to walk away.

He has to jog to catch up "Aww, you're not still mad about the other day, are you?" She turns to glare at him. Guess that answers his question. Chuckling nervously, he continues "Let me make it up to you. How about I take you out to dinner?"

"No thanks." She doesn't even hesitate.

"How about we go for drinks, then" she finally turns to face him, but her expression is still angry.

"Can't you take a hint?" she's right in front of him, so close they're almost nose to nose. Her chest is heaving and her eyes are sparkling dangerously, but all Gildarts wants to do is to kiss her (despite the risk to his life). She's so cute when she's angry.

"You there! What are you doing here? This is a restricted area!" They whirl around and realize they're somehow in front of a fence.

"I'm Gildarts Clive from Fairy Tail, and this is my partner. We're here for the job" Ultear glances up at him sharply.

The guard speaks into a walkie-talkie before he gestures to them "Follow me."

* * *

Ultear sighs in frustration. Somehow she's been pulled into Gildarts mission. She only came to investigate rumors that the dark guild Nexus was planning to steal a new lacrima weapon design, but now she's stuck on guard duty with Gildarts. Yippee. At least he had enough sense not to mention her name.

"Gildarts" he turns to look at her, shocked (this is the first time she's initiated the conversation), but she's all business. "We should patrol the grounds, and look for areas of weakness like holes in the fencing, areas not monitored by cameras, and possible points of access that bypass security." Perhaps he takes note of her tone because for the rest of the day, he doesn't even try to flirt, although he doesn't leave her side either. She doesn't comment despite knowing that if they split up they would cover more ground.

* * *

By the time they've finished their rounds and returned to their station, he's managed to coax her into casual conversation. He's even made her smile a couple times (they were more like smirks, but hey he'll take what he can get). She's finally relaxed in his company and has even started to talk more about herself, although he notes she doesn't say anything about her guild or family.

With a jolt of surprise, he realizes this is the longest conversation he's had with an attractive, non-Fairy Tail woman since his wife, Cornelia, left him. But before he can think more on it, he hears an explosion. Grinning, he glances at her and sees the same anticipatory grin on her face. It's about damn time there was some action. A group of between eighty and ninety mages has blasted through to the vault they're guarding.

"Looks like there's a couple more guards – " before the mage can finish speaking, Gildarts is in front of him, his arm moving up and under, connecting with the dark mage and sending him crashing through the wall. Ultear is right next to him her right arm flashing forward in a straight punch to the head of another mage. His attention is pulled back to the battle when a group of mages rushes him. His raises his arm, and a blast of concentrated magic power blows seven mages through another wall. The shockwave from the blast sends another dozen mages that are caught in the crossfire flying.

He takes a minute to check on his partner. Ultear is standing in a forward stance, one fist pressed against her palm "Ice Make: ROSEN CORONE!" A flurry of frozen rose flowers complete with stems and thorns is sent spiraling through the enemy ranks. He smirks and brings his arm up to guard his face. His other arm swings out and around in a hook that catches the attacking mage in the gut. Then, he hears Ultear shout "FLASH FORWARD!" Dozens of streaks of light whiz by before he feels (and hears) an explosion that rocks the building. Not willing to be outdone, he gathers power in his outstretched hand again, looking for a target. Perfect. He's smirking as he punches the ground, releasing the magic into the ground and breaking up the floor into cubes that explode upwards, hurling the enemy mages into the air. The majority of the dark guild is out for the count now, but a few are left standing.

A couple of the braver mages rush towards Ultear. The first one to reach her is holding a short sword alight with magic. A sword appears in her hands and she holds it in front of her, pushing the enemy's sword to the left. While he is off-guard she brings her leg up and around in a high roundhouse kick to the head that knocks him unconscious. The other mage tries to take advantage of her distraction, but she moves slightly to avoid the magic spell he casts before grabbing his outstretched hand. She pulls him forward and wraps her leg around the mage's head and arm, spinning their bodies around, and using his momentum to hurl him across the grounds.

Meanwhile, three mages have engaged him, sending magic flying across the space between them. Immediately the pressure in the air intensifies as he gathers magic around him to form a guard against the attacks. He sends another blast of concentrated magic (much stronger than the first) that immediately renders his opponents unconscious. He looks over his shoulder to see Ultear taking out a mage with a flying kick to the head. When she lands, she kicks out with one leg, driving the heel of her foot into another mage's face. Orbs that are whizzing around her rush towards the mage, finishing him off. But she follows up the last attack by bringing her leg down and out in a sweeping motion that knocks one leg out from under the last mage. Before he can recover his balance, she is up on her feet and punching in an overcut motion that knocks him out. Gildarts is grinning again, impressed by not only her physical prowess, but also by her magical capabilities. Ultear is a strong woman who knows how to take care of herself.

Between his crash magic and her ice make and time arc magic, they've managed to take out the entire Nexus guild. In true Fairy Tail fashion, they've also managed to raze the entire building to the ground. But hey, the blueprints are only singed a little so he considers it a success.

* * *

After damages are taken out of the reward, he offers her half. She's surprised at his offer, and refuses at first. But he insists and eventually she takes, bestowing him a grateful smile in return. He opens his mouth to ask her out "Do you – "

"The answer is still no." but she's smiling as she walks away.

**A/N: Haha Ultear's so mean to poor Gildarts. Also, I got the name Nexus from episode 52 of the anime (it was listed as one of the dark guilds controlled by Tartaros).**

**Please Review! If anything's unclear don't hesitate to ask about it via a review or pm. **


	3. Third Times the Charm Or Not

_**Third Time's the Charm… Or Not**_

The third time he meets her, they are at the Guild again. At first he doesn't notice her; he's too busy looking for his daughter and knocking Natsu out. It's only after he has Cana in her arms – forcibly trying to pry herself _out _of them – that he sees her. After Cana has succeeded in separating herself and then berated him for his stupid love-dovey behavior, he seeks Ultear out.

She seems amused by his antics, and says as much when he takes a seat next to her.

"He he! She's my daughter" he puffs his chest out in pride, a wide grin splitting his face. Her answering smile is so real, so beautiful that it renders him speechless.

"I have a daughter, too. Her name's Meredy." Although her smile is breathtaking, he can still see a hint of pain in her eyes. "I found her as a little girl and raised her." It's not the full truth, but she's not ready to tell him her story.

He sees a man enter the guild and thinks nothing of it. At least until his daughter walks up to him, dragging the man behind her "Dad, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Bacchus".

At first he wants to punch the guy in the face he's so angry, but one look at Cana tells him that will _not _go over well, so he settles on trying to break his hand (just a little) when he shakes it in greeting.

When Cana gets up to use the restroom, he turns to Bacchus, his face dark and deadly serious "If you ever hurt her, I will hunt you down and kill you. There will be no place that you can hide." Bacchus pales, frozen in shock and fear. But then the expression is gone and Gildarts starts smiling at him; Cana has returned. She takes one look at her boyfriend's face before turning accusingly to Gildarts, "What did you say to him?!"

"Ha ha! It was nothing just a talk between men." She turns to Bacchus, not trusting Gildarts's words, but he just nods in agreement. She still looks suspicious, but she lets the subject drop. Before long, Cana is talking about how they started dating, and Bacchus is telling him about his family and his guild. He looks at his daughter. Her face is radiantly happy, her eyes sparkling, and her cheeks slightly flushed. She is looking at Bacchus like he used to look at Cornelia, and he finds himself softening towards them

By the end of the conversation he is sincerely wishing them well. "Bacchus, let's have a duel the next time we meet, heh?"

Cana gasps in outrage, but Bacchus just smirks "Sure ya can handle it old man?" Gildarts can't help but return the smirk.

After they leave Ultear turns to him, but before she can say anything, Gildarts bursts into tears. She rubs his back soothingly, but she's smiling affectionately at his behavior. "First times she's brought a boyfriend to meet you, huh?" she mutters sympathetically. He nods, but recovers quickly. Grabbing Ultear's hand, a determined expression on his face, he asks "Ultear would you go on a date with me?"

"No" she pulls her hands out of his grasp, turning to hide her smile in her drink. But she doesn't leave. He pouts before turning to his own drink. He's glad for her company and her understanding because truthfully, he's still not completely comfortable with Cana dating. In the end, though, as long as his daughter is happy that's all he cares about.

**A/N: Cana finally enters the picture with her boyfriend :)**

**Catwho: That's exactly what I thought! Gildarts is one of favorite characters, and Ultear immediately came to mind when I tried to picture who he'd look good with. Like you said, she's just old enough not to violate the "half plus seven" rule, and she kicks ass. Anyway, I hope I didn't disappoint with this chapter :)**

**Also, I was so happy to get a review for this story that I went back and added a fight scene to the last chapter. It's my first attempt at writing a fight so I'd love some feedback on it. Hope you guys like it :)**

**Like always please Review!**


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